His name wasn’t randomly selected Thursday for the one spot from the nine U.S. contestants vying for an hourlong flight aboard the Space Expedition Corp.’s Space XC shuttle.

Patrick Carney won the U.S. spot.

“I was very disappointed,” said Rohrig, who will be back on the job Monday at UTC Aerospace Systems in Rockford.

Two dozen other contestants from around the world also will be aboard the commercial spaceship ride — perhaps in 2015 — as a result of the competition.

Rohrig and other contestants spent this week training at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida for the AXE Apollo Space Academy competition.

He said the most fun he had was piloting a prop plane — with an experienced pilot at his side — while flying upside down over other planes. Also while on a plane ride, he experienced a 10-second dive that felt like a free fall. “My dog tags were floating,” he said.

Rohrig said he was filmed as part of a documentary about the contestants and the entire experience. He’s unsure when it might air.

He said he made many friends at the space camp. “I got to meet people from all over the world. Now I can vacation in any country and have a place to stay.”